Redemption on the Rocks

This post is a week old, sorry. I started it last weekend, but wanted to wait until pics came out since I had none on my own. They're pretty bad, so I put off writing for a while longer...and now here we are.

This past weekend (10/13ish) was a biggie for me. My running year came full circle (even though it isn't nearly done) and I ran a race for the second time: Run the Rocks 5k for the ALA.

This time last year, I was struggling to complete a 5k without stopping to walk. It seemed like no matter what the course or the weather, once I hit 2 miles I would just...tank. My mind would take over and I'd stop for water or whatever. At some point in January or so I finally broke through that, but at this point last year I wasn't there yet.

Last year I ran Run the Rocks in 32:57. The first two miles were pretty ok, but the last one is this NASTY uphill that ends with a climb up the amphitheater steps.

This year, I ran it in 28:39. That's about 4:18 faster than last year. Wow.

I really want to thank Capstone for making sure to get a single, crappy picture of me running during the race and 3 pictures of me struggling up those stupid stairs. I guess I was just too fast to get good race pictures. I dunno.

Yeah, I really needed 3x reminders of those precious moments. Oh well. at least I got something.

My splits for the miles were pretty funny too:

Suffice it to say, the first two miles are pretty much all downhill.

My playlist was solid...I'm kind of obsessed with one of my spin playlists:

In particular, that Britney song (Work Bitch), Best I Ever Had (Gavin Degraw), and Harlem are topping the list lately. They all make me feel like flying, which helps lighten the feet a bit. :-)

Anywho, that's that. I ran the Rock n Roll Half Marathon this weekend, and will have a post about that hopefully in the next couple of days. I have some post-race pictures from that, but I'm hoping for some action shots too. Stay tuned.

Have you ever run the same race twice? How'd it go? What are your weekend victories?